A blood culture test is an important test in a microorganism test. To rapidly detect bacteria and fungus from blood, which is originally germ-free, is very important for diagnosing blood sepsis and bacteremia, which are serious infections. On the other hand, an appropriate antibiotic therapy needs to identify species of microorganisms, to rapidly measure sensitivity to an antibiotic, to determine a type of an effective antibiotics and its concentration, and to decide on courses of treatment.
Conventional flow of a blood culture test in a laboratory is as follows. Collected blood is cultured in a device for blood culture test. After the test is determined as positive, a sample is taken out from a cultural bottle and the sample is applied to a culture medium. After a culture for several hours to one night (an isolation culture), a bacteria suspension is prepared by picking from formed colonies. Then, the bacteria suspension is inoculated into a measuring device of a device for identification and antibiotics-sensitivity test. In other words, after testing with the device for blood culture test, culture is conducted from several hours to one night, and then the test is conducted by using other device for identification and antibiotics-sensitivity test.
Usually, since sepsis and bacteremia are serious illness, types of bacteria and a type and concentration of antibiotic which is effective for the bacteria is required as soon as possible. However, since a period to be positive is previously not known, time lag (spare time) is often generated. Consequently, the sample cannot be smoothly transferred into the identification and sensitivity test, which is a next process. Particularly, when a test result of blood culture is determined as positive in the nighttime, the laboratory is unattended in many cases. Consequently, transplant to subculture (isolation culture) is conducted after the operation in the laboratory starts next morning. Therefore, inoculation to the device for the identification and sensitivity test delays, and a report of the result of the identification of the microorganisms and the result of the antibiotics sensitivity finally delays, unable to decide appropriate courses of treatment at an early stage. Practically, for serious illness, such as sepsis and bacteremia, existence or nonexistence of bacteria is more important than a type of the bacteria. Therefore, the fact is that, when the test of a blood culture is determined as positive, an antibacterial antibiotic which has a wide range of antibacterial spectrum is administered by a medical doctor not waiting for the result of the antibiotics-sensitivity test. Such medication is one of the reasons for emergence of antibiotics resistance bacteria, which becomes a problem in these years.
Although attempts for shorting a period of time leading up to the test result report and for laborsaving have been made, a significant effect is not obtained because there are many technological problems. Even if technological problems are solved, the laboratory cannot be operated for 24 hours because a person links operations for two devices for the blood culture test and the identification and sensitivity test. In large majority of the laboratory site except a part of institutions, loss of time is generated in an actual condition. As a result, four days or more has been spent leading up to the result report.
In order to shorten time and to save labor, for example, an example is shown in a method described in Patent Literature 1 in which a constant quantity of bacteria can be collected using a simple bar with grooves. In a method described in Patent Literature 2, an example is shown of a bottle which is effective for inoculating a bacterial cell suspension to a device after controlling the concentration. Unfortunately, even if these methods are employed, laborsaving being achieved and devices being not linked, it is difficult to greatly contribute to shortening the final report time. In addition, although the bar or the bottle is excellent for the operation by a person, these tools are not appropriate for automation using devices because of the complex steps.